Focus on Rajnath as BJP think-tank formulates strategy for election

With UP State Assembly Elections barely a few months ahead, the BJP think-tank is assembling in Lucknow to formulate its game plan for the forthcoming election in UP, Uttaranchal and Punjab and also on how to tackle the UPA rule at the Centre. But before all this, the National Executive, to converge for the first time in BJP’s history, will affirm Rajnath Singh as the party president for a three-year renewed term in his home state of Uttar Pradesh. A huge 20000 square feet pandal is being readied for this crowning ceremony, in which about 2500 members of BJP’s National Executive will be redeeming their faith in Singh’s presidency. The entire pandal will be bedecked in saffron colours and a 720 square feet stage is being prepared for the leaders to sit.
Focus clearly will be on Rajnath Singh, whose position has strengthened considerably after BJP’s good showing in the recently concluded civic elections, consequent to which he was described as ‘lucky vote catcher’ for the BJP by his core backer, the RSS. No doubt, this win silenced his detractors within the party and thus had a tremendous impact on strengthening his chances for a renewed three year term. Singh’s actions will be keenly watched as he chooses his new team and carries forward the proceedings under the shadow of towering personalities like Advani and Vajpayee, both of whom have lately been given the role of consultants, under RSS’s guidance.
RSS’s estranged relationship with Advani and closeness to Vajpayee was evident in the recent controversy where Advani was quoted as saying that he proposed Vajpayee’s name for prime ministership but was unsure if now his name would be proposed by Vajpayee for the same post in case the NDA returns to power at the Centre. Consequent to this, Rajnath Singh made his intentions and that of RSS clear by saying that Vajpayee would certainly be one of party’s prime ministerial candidates, in response to which Manmohan Singh said that BJP will have to wait for very long time before it could hope to come back to power.
That the focus is not going to be on deciding the prime ministerial candidate but on formulating the strategy for the elections was evident in the saying of Kalraj Mishra who stressed that UP elections were most crucial as its outcome would decide nation’s future political course.
Another interesting area would be whether the BJP sticks to its Hindutva agenda or dilutes it by merely airing a few utterances regarding minority appeasement at the hands of Mulayam Singh or Manmohan Singh government.
Also something that would be of interest to the people of UP would be to see whether Kalyan Singh is clearly projected as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the forthcoming elections. This is particularly so because Kalyan Singh’s estranged relations with Rajnath Singh in the past is well-known though the later has tried to bridge the gap after assuming the mantle of Party’s president.
The national executive is being held in Lucknow after a gap of 15 years and the senior BJP leaders from UP are sparing no chance to make it a success. The State administration too has been put on high alert and more than 3500 policemen are being deployed for the cause. In this regard, Naveen Chandra Vajpayee – State’s Chief Secretary – has already completed the arrangements and given suitable instructions to the team responsible for security.

Be careful with your Cola

Never allow your child to consume Mentos and Cola together

The new findings are reaching the masses like jungle fire. Internet is replete with live examples of the effect that Mentos and Cola cause when they get mixed together. In fact the dreadful combination of cola and Mentos has given birth to new games like whether your cola bottle would fly like a missile and cross over the roof of your building or not? Or how high a fountain you would get by mixing cola and Mentos.
Not that it is restricted to gaming only! Reports have come in of children in Brazil, who died after consuming Mentos and Cola with little time gap in between. There is urgent need to educate the children over this as both Cola (like Pepsi and Coke) and Mentos are much favoured by the children. It is extraordinary how this could escape the prying gaze of our national mainstream media till now.
Not any more though! Swami Ramdev, who till now had been saying that the best use of colas is to wash your toilets with them has now got a new armoury in his arsenal to hit at these beverage manufacturers. Interestingly, some of Swamy’s staunch followers have already started cleaning their toilets with colas. A few of them we spoke to said that this resulted in sparkling clean toilets. Moreover, it serves as a lesson to children as well who realize the true worth of these beverages.
This time it is different. Children have got a new game of flying missiles and fountains. All you have to do is to put Mentos in a two-litre cola bottle and wait for some time. The moment you throw the bottle on the ground, it shoots up in the sky like a rocket and flies high up in the sky. Alternatively, if you put mentos in a freshly opened 2-litre bottle while it is kept on ground, cola and mint react to shoot a fountain as high as one metre. And the force of the fountain is such that it could prove fatal for eyes if an unsuspecting kid puts them over the bottle. Or if the bottle bursts!
The matter assumes significance keeping in mind the fact that this is the time when debate is raging over whether these beverages should be banned in schools or not. Only recently Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s president who has recently been rated by Fortune as the most powerful businesswomen in the world, said that banning cola in school is not a great idea. She said: “Our experience is when there is a ban, they are not effective. Children will get it from home.” She has an alternative plan for health minister Anbumani Ramdoss’s proposal for banning sale of soft drinks from educational institutes. Starting with a dialogue with the government on counseling against obesity, Nooyi suggested that companies like Pepsi, with diversified portfolio ranging from soft drinks to juices, could stock cafeteria with so-called “good for you, better for you” products instead of “treat for you” items like colas.
On the controversy over pesticides, she said: “The purpose is not to confront but work (together).” This was an obvious attempt to shirk the issue on safety standards raised by certain NGOs.
Whatever she says, truth is that detractors of cola companies have got a new salvo to fire at them. While Pepsi and Coke may have to think of using Amir Khan, Smriti Irani and company to do another ‘safe campaign’ against this missile potential of colas, all we can say for the moment is “Be careful with your cola”.

Saifai at Lucknow and Kanpur

Saifai Mahotsava may be happening at this small village in Etawah. But right here in Lucknow and Kanpur, there are some people who are reaping benefits without even setting a foot on the soil of Saifai.
It is common knowledge that the State Government waves off the tax on sale of automobiles at the Saifai Mahotsava. This generous discounting results in a discount ranging from 10 to 15% on various cars and two-wheelers. For instance, on a car worth 4 lakh rupees, one can get a discount up to Rs. 50000. This is the reason why car and two-wheeler buyers of UP wait for Saifai to come so that they can avail this discount and line up in hordes at Saifai to do the purchase.
Not any more! Automobile dealers in Kanpur and Lucknow (and at places like Agra too) have devised a more interesting plan of delivering your vehicle right here in these cities, without you having to go to Saifai in this chilling cold. For this service, they are charging a token amount of few thousand rupees. All the papers and formalities remain their headache while the vehicle is delivered here itself along with the discount.
Says an automotive dealer who doesn’t wish to be named: “The discount given by the Government is through exemption of tax, hence our profitability does not suffer because of this. From our profit, we have to pay 10,000 rupees per car to certain important people (name withheld) if we go to Saifai. This payment is not done on records. Therefore, even if we do not sell the car from Saifai, these important people ensure that we can sell the car from here itself. All they need is their money. The buyer too is happy that he does not have to go all the way to that remote village in this cold and wait in queues to get the formalities done. He is more than willing to pay the 6000-7000 rupees that we charge for delivering the car here itself inclusive of all the paperwork, etc. In this way, we are able to recover some of the money that we had to shelve out.”
Thousands of vehicles are sold every year at Saifai. This new arrangement is even better for everybody. The buyers are happy because they get a good discount, without even having to go to Saifai. The dealers are happy because their sales get enhanced. Through recovering a major portion of the dole that they have to pay, from the buyers, they ensure that their profitability per car does not get reduced. The organizers of Saifai are happy because of all the limelight and attention they get. Even the ‘important people’ are happy who charge a good amount for every vehicle sold from Saifai. It is a win-win situation for all. The only loser is the State exchequer. But who cares!

Muslims furious over insult

Muslims across North India are furious at the insult meted out to their sentiments at New York. Not just the common Muslims, but the clerics, Muslims leaders and prominent social workers belonging to the community have come forward to express their grievances.
In our previous issue, HTE gave an exclusive coverage of Apple Mecca, the new structure that has come up in New York city, very much to the annoyance of the Muslim community there and all over the globe.
Apple Mecca resembles the holiest place of Muslims on earth, the Kaaba in size, shape and colour and is alleged to have a bar inside.
The cover story done in HTE has generated mixed response from the learned clearics among the Muslim community. Not only the Muslims, intellectuals belonging to Hindu, Christian and other communities too have aired their opposition to these constant attacks on the devi devatas of the Hindus and places and things of religious importance of the Muslims. A few prominent newspapers have gone ahead and covered the exclusive story covered for the first time in HTE. Consequently, the cover story of HTE has been instrumental in taking the message across North India.
Muslim community is giving mixed reactions, ranging from contemplating demonstrations against the US once again to petitioning the UN and the Union Government to put pressure on the US to frame laws so that such incidents never occur again.
Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, a prominet Shia clearic, is of the view that this is a part of a Zionist conspiracy, rather than a Christian plot against Muslims. Kalbe Sadiq is of the view that Israel has time and again played the game of making two parties fight and has reaped its benefit out of it. If it is a Zionist plot to tease Muslims, Muslims should either learn to give no response or start teasing the Jews instead.
Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli, a prominent Sunni cleric of the country, too is of the view that it is apart of well-planned conspiracy. He cites the example of the edited Qurans that are silently being pushed forward by the US as part of the heinous plot being hatched and executed by the US authorities.
Others though want Muslims to give no reaction and instead focus more on worship of the God, who will guide those conspiring against the Muslims. But there are not too many who share such views, like those of Maulana Rahman Miyan.
Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, head of the Bareilvi sect of Muslims, is of the view that another crusade has already started. He cites Bush's own words to elucidate his point and says that Muslims have already lost several countries but are yet to take this seriously.
Mufti Mukarram in Delhi wants the bar to be closed immediately under the orders of US government, while Maulana Saif Abbas wants United Nations to frame laws so that such misdeeds are never committed again - neither in the US nor in any other country of the world, and neither against Muslims nor against any other religion of the world.

Muslim clerics air their grievances against US Government

Attacks against symbols of other religions have become a common thing. Nobody seems to mind the sentiments of the members of other community, as long as its own petty gains are being met. Keeping in mind that these kinds of alleged attacks have now become a regular affair, Aziz Haider talked to prominent Muslim leaders and ulemas to know their reaction on the cover story published in The HTE.

Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli
This is part of a well-planned conspiracy
No place can be equivalent to Mecca in sanctity. It is ironical that those who call of religious freedom do not keep in mind that the sentiments of other community should not be hurt. This is part of a well-planned conspiracy. First they tried to physically eliminate us but when they realized that the Muslim's love for the religion is not diminishing, they started a conspiracy to attack on their sentiments. First an edited Quran was brought into the market, then came anti-Muslim statements of their leaders. If some segments of the Muslims come out on streets, the international media will highlight this, even if it is a small reaction giving it an angle that the Muslims are unable to digest other religions. Moreover, this will be their way of putting a curtain on the defeat suffered at Philistine (Palestine) and Lebanon.

Maulana Rahman Miyan
This has been happening from the time of the Prophet
This is not something new. This is happening from the time of the Prophet. Abraha, the king of Yemen, attacked Mecca with intentions to demolish the building. All this was being done because they identified the Prophet from their respective books so clearly as if he was their child. Yet they opposed the path of justice to the path of Satan. When Abraha and his forces could not destroy Kaaba, who can do so without the Will of God? It has come in traditions that the sanctity of Kaaba will be compromised once but that would also signify the beginning of the end of this world. Satanic forces are hell-bent on destroying the sanctity of this centre of Islam on earth.
All this is happening because of the internal divisions within Muslims. I silently cry on the state of affairs. Instead of leading all to God, they want Muslims to come to their doorsteps. Today's maulvi thinks and make us belief that paradise is guaranteed if you come to them. God has said that it is He who shows the way and it will be He who will lead us to sanity.

Maulana Abdul Ali Farooqi
'Khisyani Billi Khamba Noche'
I am of the opinion that Muslims have a system which no other religion of the world has. That is why they continue to attack us and this is not something new for us. This is an attempt to tease us. Khisyani billi khamba noche (the annoyed cat bites at the pillar). They should come for a debate based on knowledge. Instead, they try to make faces so that some from us react. Why is it that no Muslim has ever criticized or demanded a change in the content of Bible or Gita or any other book of religious importance? This is so because we respect all religious books. Why do they want to change our Quran? If some Muslims react, they would try to use it to show that we are terrorists. I appeal to the sane people from across the world that they judge who is the terrorist – they or us? They (the US) call themselves the torchbearers of peace, yet they continue to torment the Muslims through acts and deeds.

Dr. S. Kalbe Sadiq
Muslims should find ways to tease the Zionists
I can give only two solutions to this recurring problem time and again.
First, Muslims should realize that this is not part of a Christian conspiracy as some would like us to believe. Rather, it is offshoot of the Zionist game-plan. They have always tried to reap benefit by making two parties fight. Now they want to ignite this war between two great religions of the world.
As I said earlier, there are only two solutions. Jewish lobby have identified the things that ignite the sentiments of the Muslims. Either the Muslims should cease to feel offended over constant attempts to tease them or they should instead find ways to tease the Jews. They should know that the Jews get teased easily. They should do that or sit quietly at homes.

Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan
Muslims are going through a war
America's misdeeds are now known to the world. George Bush has become a pawn in the hands of rightists; he has already termed this war as crusade. Muslims are going through a war and they do not realize this. We have already lost several countries by now.
It is the Muslims who are to be blamed. Those who were burning the effigies of Congress Party when Bush came to India last time are now canvassing for the same party. We cannot do much now as America has come openly to offend our sentiments. They want us to remain involved in these issues and have forgotten the core issues that are affecting the Islamic world on the whole. If you look at India, the Indianness has gone missing. Today we have become servants of Western culture. Indian culture is being eaten away by them. Now they want to do the same with the Islamic culture.
You should take reaction of the prominent Hindus and Christians as well as they too are against this. Hindus have been hurt tremendously, both by the attack on their culture and the attack on their sentiments by offending the devatas and devis.

Mufti Mukarram
Bar should be immediately closed
This act is strongly condemnable. Kaaba is the symbol of Islam. It is a sanctified place. If they have opened a bar there, it reflects the anti-Islamic policies. The bar should be immediately closed under the orders of the US Government. Matter should be discussed in the Security Council and other organs of United Nations.
If they will attack the sentiments of other religions, people are bound to feel bad. If they are unable to do anything, how do you expect them to vent their anger? It is US which is adding fuel to fire and giving rise to terrorism.
However, Muslims too should be curbed. I saw the Gunbad-e-Khazra made on the dargah of Haji Usman Naqshbandi at Ahmedabad. At another madrasa in UP, they have made a structure exactly in the shape of Kaaba on the top floor. Why should they do so? Kaaba is a far more sanctified place. Going a step ahead, they have made a bar. They could have made a religious center there, if their intentions were right. I feel sad. Organizations for world peace should come forward and do something. Bar should be closed immediately as this would have far-reaching repercussions.

Maulana Saif Abbas
Nobody should dare to do this again
This is another attack on Muslims. This keeps happening every quarter as they wish to keep us involved with petty things and continue to carry their nefarious plans. This is highly condemnable.
Time and again the Muslim sentiments are being hurt. Muslim countries and Ulemas should demand from UNO that a law is formulated so that sentiments of no person, belonging to any religion on earth, should get hurt. And that nobody should dare to do this again.

Murder, Mayhem in High Seas

Sub Heading: Life becomes cheaper than luggage… and the Government sleeps

Is life cheaper than luggage? Think again! At least the Indian Government does not seem to be thinking that way in spite of the fact that hundreds of Indian seamen continue to be killed on ships every year.
The laws in this regard are erroneous. If you book a consignment through ship and it gets lost or damaged en route, (The) Merchant Shipping Act 1958 gives powers to Court to detain foreign ship that has occasioned damage. A vessel may be arrested for claiming damages of loss of goods, but there is no law which gives the Government or courts power to impound a ship if your near or dear one is killed in cold blood or die due to negligence, while on duty. Several such deaths later and in spite of lot many articles by media and petitions to high authorities, including the Prime Minister and the concerned minister for shipping, the Government continues to lie in slumber.
Thirteen Indian seamen lost their lives within a span of 20 days from September 23 to October 13, 2005 alone, and became prey, of employer's foul play. Only one dead body out of 13 was recovered.
Every time a fresh case of 'murder' occurs, the Government machinery wakes up to media hype only to go to sleep once the media gaze shifts. This happened once again lately when Sukesh Chandra, a resident of Lucknow, was allegedly killed while the ship was anchored. His bereaved wife, Anju Chandra and the young son Anu Saksham went from pillar to post but to no avail. "Not one of them has got back to reply," says Anju. Anand Sharma issued a statement in Delhi saying that the Government would look into the matter. It seems the Government is still looking into the matter.
Sukesh Chandra's case is just one in many. Hassan Zaheer, an expert swimmer, died last year in the high seas, alleged by the ship authorities to have committed suicide, an argument that his father Zaheer Zaidi of Delhi refuses to accept. Gautam Mallick, a resident of Gurgaon died in similar circumstances in October last year. His bereaved father couldn't bear the loss and departed, leaving Kanta Mallick as widow. There are cases as old as five years that remain unsolved. If Government is looking into the matter, it should be quick as deaths continue to take place faster than you could imagine.
Sukesh Chandra's case is exemplary. A man who was on ship even when India was fighting the 1971 war, he was not paid salary for the last two years. He wanted to return home but couldn't due to lack of money. He waited for the employers to give him the salary and when he didn't get it, filed a complaint with the nodal agency ITWF. It was then perhaps that the plot of his murder was hatched.
Official version is that he was strolling on the deck when he fell down into water and died. But there are several loopholes. Sukesh used to write a dairy daily; none of his belongings have been sent back. Even after four days of Sukesh's death, nobody on ship bothered to inform his family. It was only when a routine call was made, Sukesh's wife was told of the death, after several attempts to divert her from talking to Sukesh. Not once did Captain Isaac - the owner of the ship - phoned Sukesh's family back home while later attempts to contact the captain failed as the phone was banged down on the aggrieved wife's face, when she begged for the body to be sent home. Sukesh, a Hindu, was buried, and not cremated, at far off Hawana.
Says Zaheer Zaidi of Delhi, who has formed a front to bring all such cases to light: "I think he was killed for not giving salary. He had complained to ITWF (International Transport Worker's Federation), which is a UN approved body and the ship owners feared action."
There are strict terms and conditions that the ship owners have to adhere to, as per international laws. But they are given an overlook as no contract is given to them. Sukesh was occasionally given pocket money, 50 dollars at the most, though he was entitled to a salary of at least 2000 dollars, as per International rules.
Hassan Zaheer's case is different. Hasan joined MSC Carmen at Mumbai on August 14, 2005. The liner is owned by an Italian having office at Geneva, Switzerland. The vessel is registered in Panama. Hasan was issued his appointment letter at Delhi, on a letterhead bearing Hong Kong address, which was hurriedly issued, without a signed agreement. Three months later, this expert swimmer who could have swam the English Channel, ironically threw himself into water and died. Barely two days before death, he had made a frantic call to his mother, imploring her to call her back. What's more debatable, he committed 'suicide' barely few hours before the ship was to reach the port. Hasan's father fear his son was put to death because the ship was engaged in smuggling and once Hassan noticed those illegal activities, he phoned to be called back. As most of such phones are tapped regularly, the ship owners realized this threat that Hassan could have been if he had been alive. Consequently, he was made to die, his body never to be recovered.
Zaheer Zaidi even wrote to Secretary General, United Nations, but to no avail. With no Government backing, his voice became powerless. In the letter he wrote: "Shipping companies with malafied intentions, get their un-seaworthy ships registered in various countries who are, interested in the registration amount, not in human values. The vessel is registered as it is. And where it is. Physical inspection of the ship is not mandatory for such registrations. The dubious system is called FOC (Flag of convenience)."
Meanwhile, Anju Chandra is still coming to terms with acceptance that she is now a widow. With no money at disposal, she is worried how she would be able to manage the education expenses of her son. Sukesh's other companions who had filed the complaint along with him are still abroad. They are so afraid that they refuse to talk on phone. As the Government continues to look into the matter, their lives too hang in danger (rather float on danger).

UPSRTC buses don’t stop after accidents

The day was Thursday; time 11.00 a.m. in the morning. UPSRTC bus number UP-78 AN-3362 was moving at breakneck speed towards Kanpur. Barely about 1 km before the Ajgain Police Station, the bus swerved left to give way to an overtaking truck. Upon coming to the extreme left of the road at high speed, the bus brushed past a cyclist from behind who was thrown off his cycle on to the road. It was his luck alone that the cyclist fell to the left or else he would have been crushed under the rear wheel.
Accidents happen and will continue to happen on roads. But worst is the case when the driver doesn’t bother to stop and seek well-being of the person. The mustached driver in the aforementioned case didn’t stop in spite of protests from passengers en route. Consequently, none of us passengers could know whether the cyclist’s head was smashed into two, whether he was left with a broken hand or leg or whether he escaped unhurt.
The habit of the drivers to consume gutkha while driving too is an invitation to frequent accidents. As the driver pulled up his neck to pour in gutkha from the pouch, the steering wheel turned left. It was his good luck that there was no vehicle close by at that moment. Moreover, such drivers have to spit out time and again; when done while moving, this is an invitation to disaster.
Another invitation to fatal accidents is the stopping of buses right in the middle of the road to offload passengers. Not one or two but several drivers are doing this on regular basis; stopping in the middle of the highways. Consequently, an unsuspecting driver from behind would either bang the bust form behind or hit the passenger getting down in the middle of the fast-moving road and crossing it. All this is happening despite the fact that a sticker ‘savdhani hati durghatna ghati’ stares right at your face from atop the driver’s seat.

Greg Chappell an Australian Mole in Indian Camp?

He came with lot of fanfare, with promise to prepare a winning combination for the forthcoming World Cup. The first thing that he did upon taking up responsibility was to remove the most successful captain India has ever had in its cricketing history. And as preparations began with a new incumbent, Dravid, as captain, the batsman who was referred to as ‘The Wall’ till recently appeared disturbed and losing out on his batting prowess, until a broken finger saved him from further disgrace. This has happened largely due to shift of his batting order, courtesy Chappell. ‘Team India’ is no longer an integrated lot. Guru Greg has emerged as the terminator of the moral and confidence of Indian team. During the last World Cup, India was the only team that had potential to challenge the might of Australian supremacy. It had the world’s best batting line-up, most promising bowling department, and a perfect balance of experience and youth. By the time 2007 dawns, the same team is reeling under lack of confidence and unity. Looking at the players, it appears that all of them, including Dravid, are playing only to fix their place in the next match. All seem to be looking at the Coach, beseeching and begging Chappell, “Sir, sir! Have pity on me. Please give me one more chance in the final eleven.” If the Guru is happy, the player’s position gets fixed, irrespective of whether he performs or not. (Kaif is a classic example).
No player is playing as a team, as if they do not know what is expected of him. None appears to be confident of his place. While batting, the basics are being forgotten. For instance, rotation of strike, something that even a local district level team knows of in limited over cricket, is missing. Players are unable to hit through the gaps. And the team whose forte till now was spin has ceased to rely on spin, as Guru Greg is increasingly relying on the medium-pace that we have.
Due to this, buzz that is circulating among media and avid cricket lovers is that Guru Greg is an Australian mole in Indian camp.
People are asking how the Indian board could be fool enough to appoint a foreign coach. If Sachin starts training the Pakistani team, will he forego his love for the Indian cricket team? No ways, argues those who are campaigning for Guru Greg’s ouster. How can we expect that Chappell no long wants Australia to win the Cup?
It is being said that due to Chappell’s frequent rotation policy, all the talent in our arsenal has been exposed. A coach is expected to know all the weaknesses of a player. For next 10 years, there seems to be no player now whose weakness is not known to Chappel. Even if we believe that Chappell is not leaking these details to rival camp, how can we be certain that he won’t be doing it in future, when he is no longer the coach of Indian team or when he is coaching another team, say Australia?
A cricket lover that we talked to even said that Chappell was an offshoot of an Australian play. “What else could be the reason for his modus operandi, that none but he could decipher,” said he, adding further: “Indian team was the only one that could have defeated Australia; we have fallen for the trap laid by them. I am afraid the same is going to happen to Indian cricket which happened to hockey a few decades earlier.”
Moreover, there are times when certain decisions are made for psychological reasons. For instance, if Sachin has pain in the elbow and is uncomfortable while playing certain shots, he will be played so as to have the psychological edge on the opponents. Suppose this weakness gets leaked, all that the bowlers from opposite camp would do would be to aim at his elbow and the psychological advantage would become a disadvantage instead.
It is several months now that the team performance has remained below par. The team’s performance against Australia was proof enough. Score was 37 for 5 at one stage in Malaysia recently. India was 195 all out later. Only in one match was India able to score a decent total; but it lost out in that match too.
South Africa has been no exception. It seems our batsmen have forgotten how to play on the bouncy wicket. New solutions are being presented, including bringing back those whom Guru Greg ousted only some time ago due to their catching age.

Box 1
Sack the foreign coach, screams the politicians
Politicians too couldn’t ignore it anymore, due to incessant lack of credible performance by the team. Issue erupted in the Parliament as well. All seemed to be gunning for the ouster of this ‘contract coach’. Why shouldn’t they when it was the coach who had been given a free hand for the selection. If there was any lack of freedom due to interference from politicians or BCCI, why is the coach not saying so?
From Mohan Singh of Samajwadi Party to Brinda Karat of CPI-M, from Rajeev Shukla of Congress to Lalu Prasad of RJD, not to mention the redoubtable Gurudass Dasgupta of the CPI, there never was more consensus in the Parliament on one single issue. All are outraged by the damage to the national honour done by the men in blue.

Box 2
Why can’t experiments be done on coach?
People are saying that if experiments can be done on batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders, new finds, old and trusted, those who have been successful and those who have been failures, pitches, cities and captains, why can’t experiments be done on coaches as well. The coach enjoys the fruits of success, he commands and takes decisions regarding team selection, final eleven and the batting order, but he is not accountable when it comes to defeats and shortcomings. Why are these passed on to the players?

Box 3
Players are equally to be blamed
However, it is not fair to put the blame on coach alone. What has happened to the world’s best batsmen? Clearly, coach has not snatched away the talent from them. The likes of Sachin, Veru and Dravid are coming to the field with drooping shoulders and departing soon, as if they were novices in this department. What used to be the tale of India’s long tail a few decades ago, is now showing its face at the top. No doubt, players today are doing all they could to earn money, be it the advertisements, endorsements, ramp walking and some even match fixing – and very few really performing in area that catapulted them to top. It is unfortunate that while Chappell is being blamed, the likes of Dravid, Sachin, Veru and Dhoni are being spared. Is this the time to put brakes on their indulgence in advertising?

Box 4
If Chappell doesn’t know the reason, who knows?
Chappel has presented a very forlorn picture on record: “The team is not playing well enough and I am not very sure what the situation is.” Question arises who knows that the situation is. National pride is being put to shame (something that this foreign coach would be least bothered about) and the solution that he tells is something that the entire world already knows of. “We are not playing well enough, that’s the basic problem.” Then he says: “We didn’t take all our catches and that was the big difference in the game.” And then: “We are struggling and we need to look at different options.”
Is there anything that is new in these utterances? Chappell needs to tell the truth behind the entire change of events. Why is it that those he ousted are now again in contention? Is this the team’s way to revolt against his way of working? Or are there more sinister issues involved? Come on Chappell, entire country is looking at you to spell out the undercover mystery.

Lucknow Policemen Keep Their Mobiles Off

Government spent huge amounts of money to give BSNL and Hutch mobile connections down to the level of Station Officers in each of the Police Stations of Lucknow. Consequent to this expenditure, the Government decided to do away with basic landline telephones in various Police Stations. Unfortunately, instead of becoming more accessible to public, the police officers still continue to remain as elusive as their phones are kept off most of the times and the helpless public is left with no option but to pass their grievances to the higher authorities. HTE has learnt that most of these officers have 'private numbers' on which they continue to talk freely while the official mobile is kept close. In fact, some daring officers even show the audacity to remove the official SIM and put their personal SIM, instead.
The case is different if you go higher up. While the senior officers are not resorting to keeping the phone off, their phone is picked up by a junior officer who decides whether to pass on the phone to 'saab' or not. Wonder whether giving mobiles has made any difference, if the 'saab' is not going to pick it up himself!

Who would feed those who feed the country?

Hi Time analyzes the scenario where as the sensex rises, the suicides rise too

BEFORE WRITING THE TEXT OF THE ARTICLE, IT IS WORTHWHILE TO PUT HERE WHAT MR. VP SINGH, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA, FELT ABOUT THIS ARTICLE. IN A LETTER HE WROTE TO MR. ATUL KUMAR ANJAAN, SECRETARY, CPI, THAT HE APPRECIATES "THE MANNER IN WHICH THE FACTS HAVE BEEN PROJECTED". MR. V.P. SINGH WROTE:

DEAR SHRI ATUL KUMAR ANJAAN JI,
I WAS JUST GOING THROUGH THE ARTICLE "WHO WOULD FEED THOSE WHO FEED THE COUNTRY" IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE HI TIME EXPRESS (COPY ENCLOSED).
I APPRECIATE THE MANNER IN WHICH THE FACTS HAVE BEEN PROJECTED. I WISH TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIEWS ON THE ISSUES OF THE FARMERS, ESPECIALLY THE INJUSTICE BEING DONE BY THE GOVERNMENT TO THE FARMERS, BY ACQUIRING PRIME AGRICULTURAL LAND IN THE NAME OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.
THANKING YOU,
WITH WARM REGARDS.
YOURS SINCERELY,

SIGNED (VP sINGH)

TO,
SHRI ATUL KUMAR ANJAAN
GEN. SEC., ALL INDIA KISAN SABHA (CPI)
CPI HEADQUARTERS, AJAY BHAWAN,
15, KOTLA MARG,
NEW DELHI-110002.

The article is as follows:

This is the pitiful irony of present day India! The sensex is rising, the industry is booming, the GDP is growing, but the number of farmers committing suicides is growing day by day.
The same is the case of UP. Mulayam Singh Yadav is boasting of highest development during his regime since Independence. But he is also apologizing to farmers for not acting in time so that they could be saved from after-effects of drought. Troubled by money-lenders, no body to go to for succour or help and facing the ignominy of harrasment, the farmers continue to commit suicide.
What's more! News have poured in that cheques of Rs. 5 and Rs. 20 have been given to the drought-hit farmers of Bundelkhand, Sonebhadra and Ballia as relief. Several of these cheques could not be encashed, as account payee cheques, for amount less than Rs. 100, are not entertained by banks. Was this the politician's way of making a mockery of that 70% population that brought them to power?
Consequently, villagers in UP are pitted against their own government, which till now was not ready to accept the severity of drought and refuted reports of suicides by drought-affected villagers. Instead of taking timely measures or corrective measures when the damage had already been done, all that Mulayam could do prior to forthcoming Assembly elections is to issue an apology. Wonder whether the apology would fill the stomachs of those who are feeding the rest of the country.
Says Atul Kumar Anjaan of CPI: "More than 72% of people are employed or dependent on argicultural sector or agricultural activities, but what are they gaining other than miseries and poverty." Adds he: "Car is being insured in this city, small shops too are insured. But the farmer's crop, which has to face pest, excess monsoon, floods, drought and all sorts of natural calamities, are not insured. Nobody has come forward to give a helping hand to them."
He claims that in this country, from 1998 till January 2006, more than 70000 farmers have committed suicde. This was more or less agreed by the Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on the floor of the house, when he said on 25th July, 2006 that between 1980 and 2004, 1,12,000 farmers committed suicide. Knowing that the suicides are continuing from 1980 onwards and growing, it should rather be called state-sponsored killing and not suicide. Somewhere something is wrong and the most unfortunate thing is that the Governments of the day have not woken up to the plight of farmers barring a few sorrowful utterances at fresh news of suicide. Media too has largely not touched the subject, accustomed as it has become to write or show those who matter.
The concern should have come from the Prime Minister. Or P. Chidambaram or Montek Singh Ahluwalia of Planning Commission of the Planning Commsion should have raised questions. Even the opposition party BJP is silent on this. Why? Since Congress and BJP are the greatest champions of liberalization and free economy and know that the problem is directly related to the policies being pursued by them, they are silent on the subject. And the lone voices that are heard, airing the farmer's grievances are those of VP Singh of Jan Morcha and the Left Parties.
Anjaan feels pity that in spite of more than one and a half pages devoted to agriculture and farmers in the Common Minimum Program, not much is being done for them. What's more, Manmohan Singh gave yet again public statement claiming that next five-year plan is aimed at 10% development with majority of it coming from the Agriculture sector. How would that be possible has not been spelt out yet?
Even today the irony lies in the fact that the Indian agriculture which contributes around 25% of India's GDP gets only 1.3% of investments.
Says VP Singh: "Even those who talk of agriculture do not talk of farmers. Unless you address the problems of farmers, agricultural growth will continue to remain stagnant." Adds he: "When it comes to agriculture, Birla to Tata all take the benefit, but the farmer gets nothing." Raj Babbar too is speaking on these issues regularly these days, particularly the issues related to transfer of land of farmers to industiralists, be it for the sugar lobby or for a corporate giant like Reliance.
And Atul Anjaan cites the case of Australian Wheat Board, which first came to India to purchase huge quantities of wheat at basic price and is now selling the same wheat to India at a price that is several times higher. "This could not have happened without active patronage of people in the ruling party," says he. "I kept aying, do something. ?Why should companies like ITC, Reliance and Australian Wheat Board purchase all the wheat? But the Government didn't act until most of the wheat had been purchased."
Anjaan has a list of three people whom he blames for all the woes. Says he: "I accuse, on record, that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Planning Commission Dy. Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia have not shown sympathetic attitude towards farmers."
Farmers are watching all this with hope... hope that these politicians will over playing politics and really do something for them now.

Travails of Sonia-Rahul’s Constituency

When Sonia and Rahul Gandhi visit their respective constituencies, they usually do so with lot of fanfare and media-hype. Several welfare schemes are launched and the duo organizes public durbars to listen to the woes of the public. However, once the dust settles down after their departure, there is not much to talk about until they plan a visit yet again.
This time though Hi Time Express followed Sonia’s trail and while she might be basking under the media hype of her visit back home in Delhi, we talked to people in her constituency to know what people think of Sonia and her illustrious family.
There is no doubt that Sonia is extremely popular in her constituency. The same can be said of Rahul and Priyanka though the later has the unique capacity charisma and capacity to draw the crowds. Several people that Hi Time Express talked to spoke in high regard for the Gandhi family. Sample these words of one Masshan Miyan from Nasirabad, who proudly boasts of several decades of selfless loyalty to this family, “This family is unique for its love for the people and the country. The amount of sacrifices they have given is an enough indicator of their patriotism and love for the country. Nobody else has given that much. Their undaunted desire for the upliftment of the people of India too cannot be questioned. Sonia may not be an Indian by birth, but she has proved that she is more dedicated to this country and its people than a lot many other Indians. Rahul too works very hard to understand the problems of the people. And Priyanka has the charisma of her grandmother. But despite all this, popularity does not transfer into votes for the Congress, which is evident from the fact that in assembly elections, not many Congress candidates win from the area,” adds Masshan Miyan.
Masshan Miyan is not the only person who says so. Others, in fact, are more vocal and though they do not wish to speak on record, the crux of their viewpoint is that the various developmental schemes launched by Sonia do not reach the common man. Says a young party worker: “When Sonia comes in the area, we go to her with petitions. Naturally, she cannot keep count of the progress of each case. She forwards the petitions to her staff. Thereafter, she never gets to know what happens as her staff is never serious about doing the work. Neither can we tell her that this particular person demands so much commission on schemes and welfare programs sent from Delhi.”
A companion of this young Congress worker said: “Those deputed to take care of the constituency should be thankful to Sonia for giving them such an enormous task. Instead, they go about behaving like spoilt bureaucrats.”
Others too agreed that this was the reason why votes were not transferring for the party, in an area that sends Sonia to Parliament by a record margin. It is because of immense respect for the family and her clean image or else confidantes had done and are doing all they could to ruin her image, laments an old man.
A gram pradhan from neighbouring Sultanpur district who regularly interacts with people from Sonia-Rahul’s constituencies, added that the two leaders need to do something fast. “I do not know whether they know of all the mess their own people have created behind them,” said he. All the welfare schemes, including those for Minorities and Dalits are being governed by these people who are not serious at all towards their implementation,” said he, accusing one of Sonia’s chief worker of Brahmanwad.
“When Sonia ji is here she asks her whether all is well. But with these people around, it is not possible for us to tell her what they are up to,” adds this man.
Masshan Miyan however is too devoted and loyal to ‘Madam’ to notice these points related to mismanagement. He is all praise for Manoj Muthoo, who handles Rahul’s affair, calling him a good person ‘who talks to the workers’. Though he agrees that he couldn’t interact much with Kishori Lal Sharma, the man who overseas Sonia’s work, he, like a loyal worker, speaks no ill word. But there may not be too many people like Masshan Miyan in the constituency. If they are, their count is fast diminishing! When these disgruntled elements speak, they speak from the heart; and the word spreads. If only it could reach the corridors of power!

Hi Time Gossip 'Mulayam Alone in Office'

During his previous term as Chief Minister, Mulayam’s office was always swarming with people and party workers. People from far and near would come to pay obeisance. Mulayam too gave them a patient hearing. Things seem to have changed now. If insiders are to be believed, Mulayam is seeing less of political workers these days and his office has lost much of the buzz that it used to have. However, Mulayam is spending more time with his mobile. Perhaps this is the new found way to remain in touch with party workers and general public. Or is this Mulayam’s way to remember his one-time confidante and ex-Communication Minister, Beni Prasad Verma, for ushering in the mobile revolution.

'If they bring Rahul, we will bring Amitabh'

Competition is naturally at its peak now! Candidates as well as party workers are on verge of breaking down, moving about with bodies that squeak and pain and a throat that does not work at times. To boost the sagging (physical) spirits of these tiring 'forces', party bosses have resorted to the old trick - of bringing celebrities to infuse spirit and catch on votes.
So not only are Salman Khursheed and Sibtey Razi traveling from city to city, the high profile Bollywood celebrities are hitting the roads. Several of these are likely to be added to this list on the last two days of canvassing.
Those who are scheduled to visit as 'star pracharaks' include Jaya Prada for SP and Yukta Mookhey for Congress. These two ladies are likely to come on the last day, so that the 'feel-good' factor of their arrival converges in votes. Shahbaz Khan is already campaigning for Congress and Shadab Fatima for SP. Saleem Shervani too is supposed to come to cash in on 'Muslim' factor.
It seems Congress and SP are trying to match each other eye-for-an-eye. This was also reflected in the statement of a senior SP leader from Kanpur; when Hi Time Express told him of the rumour that Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Kanpur soon, he retorted: 'If they bring Rahul, we will bring Amitabh'.

Dr. Dang’s take on morality in politics, SP, BSP and BJP

From being President of BHU, Dr. Sarjit Singh Dang has come a long way. He has remained MLA from Mirzapur in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1996 and has only lost the last 2002 election. He has also remained a Cabinet Minister in UP Government and is presently the spokesman of the Party. More importantly, he is known as an honest person who speaks his heart and in spite of being an MLA 4 times in a row, keeps a humble profile. Hi Time Express talked to Dr. Dang, a professional doctor whose chief hobby is to play cards with friends and know his take on present Government, on the state of affairs in his own party and its chances of coming back and other related issues.
Dr. Dang is extremely critical of the 3-year tenure of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government. He says: “The whole state knows it is a mafia state, a goonda state. There is no law and order. Whoever is looking after affairs – be it SSP or DM – they all have paid huge amounts to get a posting. And the local goondas of SP are running the whole districts. There is land grabbing. Not even a single appointment has been done without money.”
Says he further: “Other than Etawah, Rampur, Lucknow and perhaps Hardoi, where in UP are people getting electricity. All type of epidemics are rising due to callous attitude of Govt. But priority is berozgari bhatta, making the youths beggars. First you do not provide jobs and when you do, you charge huge money. What is the purpose of distributing berozgari allowance?” “Not even a single new industry has come up in 3 years. Education is in tatters. All these frustrated youths, what will they do?” adds he.
On Mayawati, Dr. Dang says: “Who doesn’t know she charges huge amounts of money from the candidates. I want to address dalits. People are paying such huge amounts because they now that by paying they are buying a chunk of votes. She is treating Dalits like buffaloes and goats.” He further says: “What has she done when she was CM thrice. She lives in luxury and knows nothing of the plight of dalits.”
“Dual face of politician is a hypocrisy that is killing the nation,” says he. I was an MLA four times, but earned no money. But I have seen people talk ill of honest men these days. I saw this happen with Harbans Kapur, who was an MLA with me, and a honest man indeed. It is a very old dictum: ‘You get what you deserve.’ Since the mindset of people has changed, they are getting these types of governments.”
Replying to a query on the present state of politics, Dr. Dang says: “Politics is running away from the basic fundamentals of human values. Definition of good leaders has changed with mafia and corrupt people joining politics. “Dual face of politician is a hypocrisy that is killing the nation,” says he. I was an MLA four times, but earned no money. But I have seen people talk ill of honest man.”
Of honest in BJP, he says: “I will never say 100% of BJP leaders are honest. But comparatively, they are far far far better than others. Here corruption, dishonesty, insincerity is an exception; in other parties, it is a rule. In BJP, if you find somebody bad, it creates a very bad impression.
On sectarian issues, Dr. Dang says: “The womb of your mother should not decide your fate as a citizen of a nation. Nobody gets born in a family or religion because of his own choice. In BJP, we are trying to tell the people, particularly the Muslim minority that they are not a vote bank for us. We are not going to satisfy their demands that are not in interest of nation. Otherwise, we will do justice to you. Whether you go to church, or to mosque, gurudwara or temple – you go to worship the one and only power.”
He calls sarcastically Azam Khan as Azam Khan the great, on lines of Akbar – the great, because his idol is Mohammad Ali Jauhar and for belittling Gandhi. “If such elements are there, there is a reaction to it, as everybody is not as balanced as you and me,” says he adding that “Gujarat riots were a reaction to Godhra incident.” “All of a sudden there was a reaction, I do not approve it, but the reaction happened because nobody – neither CPI, nor SP, nor Congress – spoke when the train burnt.”
Coming back to morality, Dr. Dang says that the root cause should be treated. Religion and its values should be separated from fundamentalism. He is confident that BJP’s chances of coming back to power in the forthcoming UP Assembly elections are increasing compared to 3-4 months back when they were very bleak. “SP will be routed. I cannot say whether BSP or BJP will be number one.”

Another Attack on Muslim Sentiments

Muslims in the US are extremely angry over alleged insult meted out to them in an area called Mid Town in New York where a glass cube shape of the Apple Store entrance, alleged to have a bar inside, and with the name "Apple Makka (Mecca)" has come up. Muslims are of the view that the structure is exactly like Kaaba, the most revered place of the Muslims. This is to be reminded that consumption of alcohol is strictly banned in Islam whereas in this bar alcoholic drinks are served for 24 hours.
This is being seen as another attack on the sentiments of Muslims, already simmering with anger over past insults at the hands of hardline American and Europeans, be it the case of Prophet Mohammad’s cartoons, the disrespect shown to Quran by few American soldiers and attack on their lands and people by Israeli forces, fully backed by the US. This has led to a raging debate whereas some are raising questions as to how can a simple glass cube really be blasphemous? But the offended Muslims in question need no more explanations as they feel that this structure, built in the form of their most sacred place and also named Apple Mecca, has been done on design to offend their sensibilities.
US Government’s silence on the issue is another reason for the simmering anger, as people believe that insults on other religions like thoseof Hindu devis and Muslim prophets has become a norm with Government doing nothing to curb this menace.
Adding fuel to fire are insulting statements on chatgroups, like “Dirty Moslims will never quit moaning, will they?”
At Hi Time, we only hope that sense prevails!

Congres banking on unblemished record of Manzoor Ahmad

If past performance and service to the community are to decide who is to be the Mayor of a city, Manzoor Ahmad would undoubtedly be the next Mayor of Lucknow.
He is a retired 1966 badge IPS officer. Before that he was lecturer in Magadh and Bihar University. He has worked as SP and SSP in 7 districts, then as DIG and IG of Bareilly and Meerut zones.
Consequently, he remained Vice Chancellor of Agra University for four years. He was with Ministry of Welfare in Central Government and served anohter tenure with Ministry of Education as OSD with Jamia Millia Islamic (1985-88).
All the new courses in Jamia including Engineering and Science faculty were started under him so much so that Jamia saw transformation from a small institution to a reputed university during his period. He then went to reshape the Punjab Waqf Board where he started technical institutions, schools, colleges and computer centers at various places. The madrasas were modernized through giving computers.
In Lucknow, he was the first to open an ITI for poor children at Iradat Nagar. Then for girls, he started a craft center at C-Block, Indira Nagar and was also instrumental in setting up of Lucknow Institute of Management and Computer Studies. Other than this, he started a CBSE school in Mewat and another at Gopalganj in Bihar.
Even after keeping such high profile jobs, he is a down-to-earth, straightforward and honest person who says that he is 'a public servant and not politician'. Leave politics for the rest.
He is worried about the problems faced by Lucknowites and says that all the civic amenitis are for 20-30% of population. This cannot be possible, as the filth and dirt of the rest of the 70-80% area will eventually engulf the posh areas. In no way is he willing to compromise on the heatlh and hygiene of the city, as this is the real cause 'of the city's happiness'.

1054 Vs. 1 but US still feels 'threatened'

It was the United States which detonated the first atomic test on July 16, 1945 with the code name 'Trinity'. It was the United States which dropped the first and only nuclear bombs to be dropped in history, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is the United States which has carried out more than 1054 tests by official counts, followed by Soviet Union with 715 tests, France 210, UK 45, China 45, India 6 and Pakistan 4. And it is the United States which ironically has the biggest problem when North Korea conducts a low-intensity test, citing strong-arm tactics of none but United States as reasons for conducting the test.
What should a country like North Korea do if it feels threatened? The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty allowed only five states to own nuclear weapons. They are France, China, Soviet Union (now Russia), the United Kingdom and the United States. Incidentally, members of this Club of Five are permanent members of the United Nations as well. The big brother attitude of these states was evident during the UN Security Council Meeting as well where nobody was willing to give a patient hearing to the points raised by North Korea. After all, why should there be some 'nuclear haves' with the rest nations falling in 'have not' category? US will have to answer!
If the US is so serious, why is it not ratifying the comprehensive agreement that will take care of all aspects of nuclear technology? India, Pakistan and North Korea have till now rejected the CTBT blaming US which has signed the CTBT, but not ratified it. If certain countries want to set up comprehensive, all pervasive mechanism to monitor nuclear power states, why is US not agreeing to it?
The fact that treaties too have not been adhered to by these 'big five' was evident when the partial tests ban treaty, framed in 1963, which only permitted underground tests was not adhered to by France and China. France continued with atmospheric testing until 1974 and China carried on till 1980.
With US's policies on creating a unipolar world with itself as the leader and its enthusiastic fforts in the past to capture control on oil and gas known to the world, how a country feeling 'threatened' by the mighties power (some say 'goonda') of the world should reach needs to be debated now.
HOPE THE US JOINS IN THE DEBATE!

It is gambling season, folks!

It is a universal obsession! But come Diwali and Indians appear to beat all the rest of the world combined in the art of gambling. Crores of rupees are put up on stake and while winners appear to be reveling in the new-found wealth, losers don’t seem to mind it.
It is curious to note that the traditional game of dice, which evidently became responsible for all the hardships that Pandavas faced, and eventually led to the war of Mahabharata, became an obsession to such an extent that nobody seems to mind the loss, just for the sake of recreation or keeping the tradition alive.
Today, gambling is not restricted to dice alone. Internationally famous gambling options like casino games, baccarat, keno, pachinko parlours (of Japan) and various options of Poker may not be too common here, but Indians have devised their own wagering options.
So if the Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex has hit an all-time high, even crossing the previous record of 2,612 points in May this year, this ‘Diwali Dhamaka’ could be attributed to Indians penchant to gamble this season.
Satta is being put on the ongoing civic elections in UP with bets on who is going to win, who is going to be runners-up and even who will be the last. As per information available with Hi Time Express, several crore of rupees are on stake during the elections in Lucknow and Kanpur alone.
To take advantage of the season, horse racing has been revived in Lucknow for the season this Sunday and the President of Lucknow Race Fund (LRF) Brigadier SK Khajuna and President of Genesis Club Pankaj Rastogi, are gearing up to ‘sell the races’ all over the country. We need not have to specify what ‘selling the races’ stands for!
Perhaps realizing the enormous potential that this ‘gambling’ season has for Indians, even ICC has organized the Champions Trophy during this month alone, as the build-up is taking place prior to Diwali and the important games are scheduled after Diwali. Even if ICC won’t like to associate with betting, the more the gamblers, the more will be the sale of tickets.
All this, when sports betting is a crime in India! But despite its unlawful nature, sports betting is prospering by the day in India and authorities have been unable to check its increase, leave alone curb it.
Most of sports betting in India is restricted to Cricket alone. This betting has seen several new entrants during the ongoing Champions Trophy, owing to its closeness with Diwali. More than 200 crore rupees worth of money is riding on the series and as the matches get bigger, more money is likely to float in. As of now, Australia is the favourite with India at close second. Sachin Tendulkar is joint favourite to top score at 11/2 (6.50), along with Ricky Ponting of Australia. At the same time, Brett Lee is favourite to be the top wicket-taker, at 100/30 (4.33) while Shoaib Akhtar is 6/1 (7.00), Shane Bond 7/1 (8.00) and Harbhajan Singh 8/1 (9.00) while Irfan Pathan is languishing at 12/1 (13.00).
Various sites like sportsbetting.com, cricinfobetting.com or freebetting.net has brought in credit card payments to betting, adding to the uneasiness of the regulatory authorities. Some of these sites even give options to bet on how much runs would be scored in a particular over, how many runs will a particular player make or will a batsman make more than 34 runs or less than 30 runs.
Wonder what the authorities are doing to check this, considering we journos have access to so much of information!

Box 1
In mechanical or electronic gambling such as lotteries, slot machines and bingo, the results are random and unpredictable; no amount of skill or knowledge (assuming machinery is functioning as intended) can give an advantage in predictability to any one.
However, for sports events such as horse racing and cricket matches, there is some predictability to the outcome; thus a person with greater knowledge and/or skill will have an advantage over others.

Box 2
Psychological aspects
Though many participate in gambling as a form of recreation or even as a means to gain an income, gambling, like any behaviour which involves variation in brain chemistry, can become a psychologically addictive and harmful behaviour in some people. Reinforcement phenomena may also make gamblers persist in gambling even after repeated losses. Because of the negative connotations of the word ‘gambling’, casinos and race tracks often use the euphemism ‘gaming’ to describe the recreational gambling activities they offer. Howsoever they name it, the number of houses that keep getting ruined, every year, right from the time of Pandavas, and lately through lottery and other means, is a reminder that we should try to check this menace, as early as possible.

Clean Lucknow: When and How

If there is anything that the Lucknowites can take pride in, it would be ‘Lucknow: The City That Was’. This is so because the present day Lucknow, with all its filth, garbage, sewers, open drains, dirty water, bad roads and unhygienic conditions, has not much to boast about.
So when several like-minded people assembled at City Montessori School’s Gomti Nagar Branch, in a joint program organized by Lucknow Management Association and Kabir Shanti Mission, headed by the District Commissioner, Rakesh Kumar Mittal, one had the opportunity to dream of a Lucknow without all the evils mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Problems and their likely solutions were discussed. People renowned for their dedicated work in the field of health and hygiene, including Dr. Upendra Kumar of Destination Lucknow Manch, Rambodh Mourya, City Commissioner, Jyant Krishna of Lucknow Management Association, Dr. Alok Dhawan, Scientist with ITRC, J.C. Singhal, Chief Engineer of Jal Nigam, Navin Joshi, the Resident Editor of Hindustan and a senior citizen SP Kalsi, alongwith RK Mittal representing Kabir Shanti Mission – the organizer of the evening – put forward their views in front of an audience comprising the who’s who of the city. Jagdish Gandhi, renowned preacher of right living and founder of City Montessori School too was there on stage. AP Verma, Ex. Chief Secretary UP, presided over the function.
Professor Jamal Nusrat’s book ‘Pani Ki Talash’ too was launched on the occasion. The book highlighting the various needs and usage of water has been published by Kabir Shanti Mission.
Dr. Upendra Kumar highlighted the need to make Lucknow more livable including better law and order situation as well as better living conditions.
RK Mittal, known as he is for seeing the glass half full rather than half empty, talk of the ongoing endeavours to transform the face of Lucknow.
City Commissioner Rambodh Maurya, who has taken over the responsibility of handling the municipal affairs of Lucknow after a successful tenure in the same area in Ghaziabad, further highlighted the present problems in his usual humorous though candid tone. “When I tried to get into the problem, I found that whatever is needed to make a city clean, nothing has been done. This belies the view that Lucknow is a developed city,” said Mr. Maurya further citing that Lucknow has a population of more than 30 lakh which gives out 500 mld sewer water but the present treatment is of 40 mld. “Ravana of pollution has to be killed,” Mr. Maurya added.
Dr. Alok Dhawan and Dr. VP Sharma spoke on Solid Waste Management and how this could problems afflicts the city. Dr. Dhawan’s speech was aimed at sensitizing the citizens of Lucknow, with visual proofs of all his claims. Citing that not much is being done in the city, he said that ‘without scavengers we wont be able to live in this city.’ The hazard of plastic waste too was discussed and the speech ended with the one-liner, “Failure is not an option!!”
Jayant Krishna, President of Lucknow Management Association talked of solutions that look simple but are rather overlooked. He cited the quote of Russell, a European visitor to Lucknow in 1858 who had said: “Not Rome, not Athens, not Constantinople. Not any city I have seen appears to me as striking.” Yet we lost out somewhere and other Indian cities constantly moved ahead to leave Lucknow behind.
Navin Joshi further highlighted the plight saying that Lucknowites have do not value the citizenship. Nobody drives in a line, people have lost patience, none is bothered about city’s hygiene and nobody’s head bends down in shame.
All appeared united on the need to clean Lucknow. When and how is the million rupee question that needs to be answered!

'Mulayam - the pahalwan - will emerge winner in Maya-Mulayam dangal': Beni Prasad Verma

Beni Prasad Verma